Systems deployed in harsh environments often have junctions between cables and connectors or other devices, collectively referred to herein as “connectors,” housed in chambers filled with non-conductive fluid, such as oil, in which the fluid pressure is nearly balanced to that of the operating environment. Where the operating environment is the deep sea, the fluid pressure can be extremely high. In some applications, the fluid-filled chamber includes a purpose-built, oil-filled hose with connectors attached to one or more ends thereof. Examples of such hose assemblies can be found in the commercial offerings of Teledyne Oil & Gas and Seacon, for instance. Where the conductor-to-connector junction is in an oil-filled chamber the junctions are often protected by “boot seals.” The seals provide electrical insulation, and keep oil from escaping into the cable's interstices, such as the spaces between the strands of the conductor's jacketed wires. Such oil loss can quickly lead to chamber collapse and catastrophic termination failure. Representative examples of boot seals in oil-filled terminations can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,948,377; 6,796,821; and 7,690,936, copies of which are enclosed and incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Prior-art elastomeric boot seals include elastic sleeves that are stretched over dielectric nipples that protrude from or extend outwardly beyond the connector's terminal end, and simultaneously are stretched over the conductor-to-connector junction including the conductor's insulating jacket. Such a design is not ideal, as the protruding connector nipples are vulnerable to damage, and by extending from the connector's terminal end, the nipples add to the overall length of the junction, which is often not desirable. The protruding nipple and/or connector terminal of such a design can also undesirably add to the required diameter of the connector. FIGS. 1, 2a and 2b show typical electrical conductor 1, prior art boot seal 4, nipple 5, and connector 7. The drawbacks described above are inherent in the prior art shown in FIGS. 1, 2a, and 2b. 